Munich

During my three days in Munich, I walked all over the city while eating pretzels- the best in the world. I saw some churches, went to some museums, and learned a lot about the city's history. I visited the Dachau memorial - one of the first concentration camps, and one used to test methods for use elsewhere. I also went to some infamous sites in the old part of Munich dealing with the rise of Hitler and the creation of the Nazi party. Beer hall putsch, anyone?




Some other travelers mentioned how in Berlin, memorials are everywhere, and they can't be missed. In Munich, however, memorials for the atrocities against the innocent during World War II are hidden, cryptic, or even unmarked.

For example, a sign on a busy street corner reads something to this effect: "Until 1935, a department store stood here." What? Oh, yeah... the department store was Jewish-owned. That's an important detail left out. A brick side street with upscale shops has some gold bricks in it. There's no sign, but it's a memorial for those who took this alternate route to avoid having to salute to the Nazis one street over at Odeonsplatz. The side street is nicknamed Dodger's Alley.

People I talked to think of Munich negatively because of how hidden and uninformative the memorials are. I agreed with them at first.

But now, I think the memorials mean more since they are not so in-your-face. I like the Muchener approach to Nazi history. The history of a place cannot be easily separated from the place itself, especially the dark history that Munich has. So why force it? Obvious and numerous memorials will not make people care more. I could make them numb.